Voyagers in the Night
by RoxxiSanders
Summary: In the cold, dark tunnels of Vampire Mountain, two vampires mourn the death of their fallen comrades. Set after book 6.


**DISCLAIMER: **Sadly I do not own Cirque du Freak or any of the cirque characters though I would love to have my very own Larten Crepsley.

**SUMMARY:** In the cold, dark tunnels of Vampire Mountain, two vampires mourn the death of their fallen comrades.

**A/N: **This is set after book 6, The Vampire Prince. Do not read if you do not want spoilers for books 5 and 6.

**TITLE:** Voyagers in the Night

Since the battle with the vampaneze, there had been nothing but silence in the mountain. Tomorrow the trials would start and Kurda's fate, along with that of a few other traitors, would be decided. Darren already had a feeling that it would end in the Hall of Death, they would have to face the stakes like the conspirators they were but as his mind drifted; he couldn't stop the feelings of sorrow which washed over him at the thought of Kurda being so brutally murdered. Sighing, he closed his diary and sat back in his hammock. He had told Harkat that he wanted some time alone and the little person had been understanding about it and headed up to the Hall of Khledon Lurt to give the half-vampire the peace which he sought.

Crepsley was still with Arra as far as Darren knew; he was refusing to leave her side even though she had passed away a few hours earlier. Arra's death had hit them all hard, as had Gavner's, but Crepsley was definitely taking it the worst. He had been closer to Arra than most, having been her mate all those years ago, and Darren knew that everyday, Crepsley regretted leaving her behind. It had broken Darren's heart, watching the exchange between the female vampire and his mentor down in the tunnels. Crepsley really had believed, even if just for a moment, that Arra would pull through and that when she did they would be together once again. It was now that Darren realised the wink had been Arra's way of letting him know that she was going to die…she was going to die but she was not going to die afraid. Arra was a fighter right to the end…just as Gavner had been.

Closing his eyes, Darren tried to stop tears from falling; tears for Gavner…tears for Arra…and tears for Crepsley. One thing that Darren vowed was that he would shed no tears for Kurda; the vampire General-soon-to-be-prince had dug his own grave by betraying them all. He let out another shaky sigh but was broken form his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway. "Darren?"

Darren's eyes popped open and he looked at the doorway where Crepsley stood waiting. The older vampire looked like a shadow of his former self and any strength that he had once had had completely disappeared from his voice. "Hey." Darren let out a croaky greeting, still not trusting his voice which seemed to crack at every opportunity.

"May I come in?" Still shuffling from foot to foot, Crepsley remained in the doorway.

"Of course, you don't need to ask." He offered a tiny smile to Crepsley who slowly walked into the room and sat down beside Darren.

"You have heard the news?" Darren nodded glumly and Crepsley sighed. "She held on for as long as she could, every time…every breath that snagged they thought for sure would be her last but…she held on." Trailing off, Crepsley smiled a watery smile, his voice filled with affection for the woman he had just lost. "She always was a fighter." A few tears broke free and trickled down Crepsley's cheeks. "And Gavner…I wish I had been with him." Thinking back, he allowed himself to remember the fallen General who had, over time, become his best friend. Looking down at Darren, he sniffed. "You were there…what, what did he say?"

"His last words?" Darren's voice was also small and weak. Crepsley silently nodded and Darren took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "He said…he said that he was sorry for keeping me awake with his snoring." Crepsley let out a chuckle at this and Darren also laughed softly.

"Only Gavner." His voice was wistful as thoughts of the journey they had made together entered his head. They had become friends a long time ago. They had journeyed to council together, fought together and above all else, they had looked out for each other. Another few tears dripped free and Darren handed Crepsley a piece of ripped cloth. "Thank you." Taking the cloth, he dropped it onto his lap but didn't use it to dry his tears. Darren suspected that this was because Crepsley needed to cry them out, needed to mourn in the only real way he knew how. "Was it quick?" Part of him didn't want to know the answer but the other part needed closure…needed to know how it had happened.

"Pretty quick yeah, I tried to make him as comfortable as possible but I don't know if I helped or not." Darren looked down at the floor as a spider skittered across the floor, an unspoken reminder of what had happened earlier that evening.

"I am sure you helped immensely." Turning, he looked at Darren, smiling reassuringly when the younger boy finally met his eyes. "I only wish that I too could have been there to help."

"I know Mr Crepsley but you didn't know what was happening and…I'm sure Gavner and Arra will be looking down on us both from Paradise." Crepsley slowly nodded, hoping that Darren was right.

"Did…did Gavner put up a good fight?" Deep down he already knew the answer but needed to hear it from the one person he knew he could always trust…Darren.

"Of course, he always did." Thinking back, Darren remembered Gavner's courageous act…remembered how he had opted to stay back alone so that Darren and Kurda could escape. He would have known that he stood no chance against the heard of vampaneze but what he hadn't realised was that one of his close friends was about to stab him in the back…was about to make the ultimate betrayal. "He opted to stay back…he wanted to fight so that we could escape and he…" Tears broke free as Darren sobbed the last words, "He died trying to save me."

Darren's tears were the final straw for Crepsley who let out a pained wail. Tomorrow the trials would commence, the funerals would be conducted first, then the trials and finally the vampires who had betrayed them would be given their fate. As soon as their trials had been conducted, Darren would be judged and it would be decided as to whether he would live or die. Crepsley had already lost too much; he had lost his best friend and the only woman he had ever loved…he was not going to lose Darren too. The boy had already become something of a son to him and if he had to fight to the death for the boy then he would. "Why did we come here Darren…you were not ready, what was I thinking?" Painful sobs broke free as Crepsley blamed himself, continuously calling himself an unfit mentor.

A minute passed and Darren could no longer take it. Leaning over, he wrapped his arms around his mentor's middle and sighed. Crepsley automatically wrapped his around Darren's shoulders as the younger boy lowered his head to rest on Crepsley's chest. "Mr Crepsley, you can't blame yourself. Neither of us knew this was gonna happen." His arms tightened; he knew that he had to make Crepsley see how much he meant to him. "You've been like a dad to me and maybe, sometimes, I don't appreciate you enough but…but I know you're always there for me and you have never once 'not believed' in me."

"I will always believe in you Darren." Resting his chin on Darren's head, he sighed and sniffed.

"I know you miss Arra and…and I know you miss Gavner." Crepsley nodded but said nothing. "So do I." The whisper made Crepsley tighten his grip. "Look, I know this isn't much but uh…as long as I live then you'll always have me by your side Mr Crepsley." Another tear dripped down his cheek; nobody had ever made him that promise before.

Clearing his throat, Crepsley finally spoke. "As long as I live, you will never have to feel lonely Darren Shan…you will always someone there to help you fight." Darren smiled slightly, snuggling into Crepsley's chest. "Tomorrow they will decide your fate but no matter what happens, I will not let them condemn you to death." The past few days had been tiring and Crepsley could no longer hide his exhaustion, letting out a long yawn.

"You should get some sleep before the trials tomorrow, can't have you falling asleep in the middle of them." The joke was weak but Darren smiled to himself as Crepsley chuckled and finally reached up to wipe away the few remaining tears.

"Thank you for your concern but I will be fine. You however, need to get a few hours; you have been through hell over these past few days." Crepsley's voice was filled with concern.

"I won't be able to sleep anyway, I keep having nightmares." His voice was soft and scared and on closer inspection, Crepsley realised that he was embarrassed.

Pulling away from the boy, Crepsley stood and looked down at him. "Lie down."

Darren muttered something under his breath but did as he was told and lay down on his back. "Fine but I won't sleep."

"Move up." It was an order more than a request but it was said gently so as to give Darren the option to tell him to go away. Once again, Darren obliged and rolled onto his side, surprised when Crepsley removed his cape and lay down beside him in the hammock. "It has been a while since I slept in one of these; I hope I do not fall out." The joke was for Darren's benefit and Crepsley smiled when it worked. Spreading his cape over them both, he wrapped an arm around Darren's waist and allowed the boy to rest his head on his chest. "Goodnight Darren."

Once again snuggling into his mentor's chest, Darren smiled. "Goodnight Mr Crepsley." He may have lost those closest to him but he still had his mentor and for now that was all he needed.

"Darren?" The younger boy hummed in response and Crepsley took a deep breath before speaking. "Arra made me promise that I would not let them kill you and I intend to keep that promise. I have lost her and I have lost Gavner…I will not lose you too. On pain of death, I promise that you will not suffer the same fate as Kurda." Pulling the boy in tighter, he made a silent promise to protect his assistant…to protect his son. Now all they had were each other and Crepsley prayed that that would be enough.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading now pretty please review and let me know what you thought; loved or hated it.

XxxoxxX


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